“ GO SLOW ” AT WESTFIELD

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 290, 28 February 1928, Page 1

“ GO SLOW ” AT WESTFIELD

Eighteen Workers Fined DISPUTE’S EXPENSIVE CONSEQUENCES THE dispute which held up work at the Westfield FreezingWorks on February 10 and 11 involved the sum of fivepence. The trouble which followed, cost the men £7OO in wages, and the company a much larger sum. Another consequence was the prosecution of 18 men at the Police Court to-day.

rpHE 18 men, who were represented by Mr. J. J. Sullivan, pleaded guilty to a charge ol breaking their award by “going slow” Dn February 10 and 11.

Mr. J. Hollows, Inspector of awards, said that on February 9, a butcher claimed that a sheep he had killed was a “stag,” which entitled him to from 4d to 5d more. The foreman butcher held it was not a “stag,” and his decision was upheld. Later, the mutton butchers held a meeting, and it was decided to “go slow,” killing being reduced from 14 sheep an hour to 8. “It seems deplorable,” said Mr. Hollows, “that the consequences should

have been so great. They were a fine crowd of men, but there were hotheads among them.” Mr. Sullivan said that if there had been more tact and reasonableness on both sides there would have been no trouble.

The magistrate, Mr. E. C. Cutten, imposed a penalty of £1 each on the following:—W. Freeman, H. Jones, A. Mortensen, C. Hyslop, H. Henderson, S. Adams, R. Thompson, A. Thompson, S. Berryman, R. Jones, H. Mann, W. Glynn, A. Munro, F. Richards, F. Marshall, C. Wallis, J. McManus and W. Clayton.